The present invention relates to a toy vehicle with a joint structure supporting the wheels of the toy vehicle in a manner that enables the vehicle and its wheels to be placed in a variety of unique and attractive orientations.
According to one aspect of the invention, the toy vehicle has a chassis and at least three wheels connected with the chassis by means of the joint structure. The joint structure enables each wheel to be independently adjusted relative to the chassis to selectively adjust the relative orientation of the chassis and one or more of the wheels. The joint structure can be adjusted by a manually applied torque, but when the joint structure is in an adjusted position, it can maintain its adjusted position under gravitational/inertial forces applied to it by the toy vehicle. Thus, the joint structure can be "adjustably retained" in selected adjusted positions.
According to another aspect of the invention, the joint structure for each of the wheels comprises a chassis joint member and a wheel joint member. The wheel joint member rotatably supports one of the wheels and the chassis joint member connects the wheel joint member with the chassis. A portion of the chassis joint member is pivotally connected to the chassis in a manner that enables the chassis joint member to be adjustably retained in selected angular positions relative to the chassis. Another portion of the chassis joint member is pivotally connected to the wheel joint member, in a manner that enables the chassis and wheel joint members to be adjustably retained in selected angular positions relative to each other. Thus, the modes of adjustment of the wheel relative to the chassis can be varied as a complex function of the modes of adjustment of the chassis joint member relative to the chassis and the modes of adjustment of the wheel joint member relative to the chassis joint member.
An additional aspect of the toy vehicle of the present invention is the provision of joint support means and stop means connected with the chassis. The joint support means provides support for parts of the joint structure in certain of its adjusted positions, to help stabilize the vehicle in certain of its orientations. The stop means prevents the joint structure and/or the associated wheel from being placed in an orientation in which they would unbalance the toy vehicle, or otherwise interfere with the proper operation of the toy vehicle.
A still further aspect of the present invention is the construction of a toy vehicle with new and useful joint structures which are designed to minimize weight, resist wear during repeated use and which are believed to be economical and efficient to construct.
This and other features of the toy vehicle of the present invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.